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A hypothesis is presented proposing that antibodies raised against commensal microorganisms shape the composition of the microbiota — through a process the authors call antibody-mediated immunoselection — and influence the overall health of the host.
Clinical evidence, including results from randomized controlled clinical trials, strongly suggests that certain live vaccines can reduce all-cause mortality, most probably through protection against non-targeted pathogens. This Opinion article examines the potential immunological mechanisms underlying these effects.
Taking lessons from 'search theory', which is based on migration patterns of animals searching for prey, for example, Krummel and colleagues discuss the intrinsic and extrinsic forces that influence T cell motility patterns as the cell searches for antigen in lymphoid and non-lymphoid tissues.
